How to Find a Home Visitor in New Mexico
Have you heard about home visiting? Maybe you saw Alax on The Early Show learning about safe sleep for babies, or interviewing Marisol and Jazzmin about home visiting and pregnancy. Maybe you saw Alax talking about home visiting on social media. Or maybe you don’t get your information from a charismatic alien, but you read our interview with Camila about how home visiting helped her adjust to life as a new mom.
If you haven’t heard, home visiting is a FREE program in New Mexico for any family that is expecting a new baby or has a child under 5. Home visitors are trained professionals who will come to your home regularly to support you and help make your parenting journey a little easier. They provide information about child development and help connect you to other community resources. They are also great listeners who are completely focused on you and your child, which means they will listen to your anxieties about the consistency of your baby’s poop in a way that your friends might not.
So, how do you get signed up with a home visitor? There are LOTS of ways to get started!
1. Search for a program in your area and contact them directly
Home visiting in New Mexico is provided by different organizations in communities across the state. So, you can find a provider in a community near you and contact them directly to get started. A list of providers by county and their contact information is available here, or if you prefer a searchable map, you can start here. Just like New Mexico’s communities, every home visiting program is a little bit different, so you’ll learn the details from your local program.
2. Speak to a helpful human on the phone
We love aliens at Moments Together, but sometimes what you really want is the sound of a human voice to help you find the right program for you. New Mexico has a team of extremely helpful humans who know all about home visiting and other early childhood programs. You can reach them at 1-800-691-9067, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you call outside those hours, you can leave a message and they will be sure to call you back. As a bonus, these helpful people might start out helping you with home visiting and then also answer your questions about child care or PreK while you’re there.
3. Use New Mexico’s “Am I Eligible?” Web Portal
“Am I Eligible” is a one-stop shop for finding out what early childhood programs and supports your family might be eligible for. You’ll be asked to enter some information about your family, and based on that information you’ll be connected to programs that might be a good fit. The portal even starts your enrollment application for you, depending on the program. This option is especially good if you also want to know more about other early childhood programs like free child care, since the portal will help you find out everything your family qualifies for and get you on your way to signing up.